The Plain Truth #8 - Texas Christian Church



The Plain Truth #8

“The Plain Truth about Prosperity”

James 5:1-6

What would it take to make you really happy?

Many people today feel that money is the key to happiness. “If only I had more money,” they say, “I would really be happy.” But as we look around us we find that things do not usually work out that way. The more money we have, the more we need—and the more we make, the more we spend. Some take the attitude of the Weird Al Yankovic song, “This Is The Life” as he sings, “If money can’t buy happiness, I guess I’ll have to rent it.”

But is money the key to everything? Can money bring solutions to all of life’s problems? Consider this illustration from our own nation’s history:

In 1923 a group of seven financial giants gathered together at the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. Their combined wealth totaled more than the worth of the United States Treasury. For years these men had been admired and respected as examples of success and prosperity. But, twenty-five years later, a check was made. Charles Schwab, president of the largest independent steel company, had died penniless. Arthur Cutten, millionaire wheat speculator, had met the same disappointing end. Richard Whitney, president of the New York Stock Exchange, had served several years in prison. Albert Fall, a member of the presidential cabinet, had been pardoned from prison so he could die at home. Jesse Livermore, the greatest “bear” on Wall Street, had committed suicide. Leon Fraser, the president of the Bank of International Settlement, had committed suicide. Ivan Krueger, head of the world’s greatest monopoly, also had taken his own life.[1]

No wonder the Wall Street Journal, a paper devoted to the discussion of finance, described money as “an article which may be used as a universal passport to everywhere except Heaven, and as a universal provider of everything except happiness.”[2]

In the fifth chapter of his letter, James delivers the plain truth about prosperity:

Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered innocent men, who were not opposing you.

As we have come to expect from James, he gives it to us straight…no minced words or pulled punches! If anything, he sounds angry as he pens these words. James’s message is a burst of righteous indignation reminiscent of the Old Testament prophets.[3]

Now before we dive into what James has to say about prosperity, let me be clear that James is not against wealth or the wealthy per se. The context shows that he is not writing to all who are rich, but to the rich who abuse their wealth.[4] God’s concern is not with actual wealth, but with the attitude toward wealth.[5]

This matter of wealth is an important one throughout the Bible. Jesus taught more about money than every other topic except God the Father and His Kingdom. Why is such an emphasis placed on this? Nothing more clearly reveals the state of a person’s heart than his view of money and material possessions.[6] As David Allen Hubbard puts it, “Show me your checkbook, and I’ll tell you something about your faith.”[7]

Wealth must be obtained honestly

The first principle about prosperity in this text is that wealth must be obtained honestly. When it comes to making money, the end does not justify the means. The Bible warns us against securing wealth by illegal means.[8] Proverbs 13:11 states, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.”

Specifically in this passage, James denounces the practice of withholding wages from workers. The Old Testament law was explicit in this regard. Leviticus 19:13 commanded, “Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight.” Deuteronomy 24:14-15 reiterated,

Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns. Pay him his wages each day before sunset, because he is poor and is counting on it. Otherwise he may cry to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

The reason for this law was that the poor laborer would immediately spend his wages for food for himself and his family. No pay meant no food.[9] And God was not pleased. Centuries later Jeremiah 22:13 denounces such a person: “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his countrymen work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.”

Much more could be listed here. In addition to the sin of paying inadequate wages, James could also have mentioned falsifying income tax returns or expense accounts, cheating on weights and measures, bribing local inspectors or other officials, or misleading advertising.[10] The bottom line is that wealth must be obtained honestly.

Wealth must be observed humbly

Secondly, James writes that wealth must be observed humbly. Prosperity often leads to pride, and we noted in our last study where that will get us. Many people base their opinion of themselves and others on how much they own. But, in fact, you and I may possess many things, but we do not own them. God is the Owner of everything, and we are His stewards.[11] That perspective ought to help us to observe wealth humbly.

Furthermore, material wealth is only a temporary proposition. The man who has it today cannot be guaranteed that he will have it tomorrow. The fact of the matter is, the man who has it in the morning has no guarantee that it will be his that afternoon.[12] James wrote in chapter one, verses ten and eleven,

…the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.

Wealth doesn’t last. Just ask the stockbroker after the market takes a downturn, the farmer after a devastating drought (or flood), or the businessman who watched his empire go up in flames. It can all turn in an instant. And even if it doesn’t turn that drastically, we must all face our own mortality. I love the way Chuck Swindoll puts it: “We entered life empty-handed; we leave it the same way. I never saw a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer!”[13] Maybe we need to adopt Job’s attitude when his wealth all came crashing down in an instant: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21).

The danger of riches is that they absorb too much of our attention.[14] Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you.” It is the priority that concerns God. There is nothing wrong with having nice things…but there is everything wrong when nice things have us.[15]

This past week I came across a book written by a Puritan named Thomas Brooks in the year 1662. The title alone intrigued me: An Ark for All God’s Noahs in a Gloomy Stormy Day. Isn’t that great? In that chapter, Brooks lists nine ways in which earthly riches can be hazardous to people, many of which we have identified already. But I was particularly struck with his last entry on the list: “Earthly riches, for the most part, make men unwilling to die.”[16] Isn’t that true…and tragic? We can get so caught up with earthly things that we’d rather stay here than go on to heaven! As Rich Mullins sang, “The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance I own only to the Giver of all good things.”[17]

Paul provides very practical advice on possessions in 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19,

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs… Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Wealth must be observed humbly. We must be reminded that everything we have comes from God, can be taken at any time by God, and will ultimately be left behind when this life is over. That should shape our perspective on our possessions.

Wealth must be obliged honorably

Thirdly, James teaches that wealth must be obliged honorably. In other words, God gives us wealth to be used properly, not to be hoarded selfishly. Jesus told the parable of the shrewd manager in Luke 16, and this is one of the most difficult teachings of Christ to understand, for this manager was a crook, was fired for being a crook, and then went out and ripped off his former employer even more. And he was commended for it! Jesus was not, however, advocating theft or shady business practices. Instead, He said in Luke 16:9, “I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.” In our last study we talked about those who “love things and use people.” Christians are to be just the opposite; we are to “love people and use things” for the furtherance of the Kingdom. Specifically, we are to use our wealth to win the lost, care for those in need, and support those in ministry. Those who take the name of Christ are not to amass a fortune that is uselessly stashed away without regard for God’s will.[18]

Unfortunately, in James’ day, instead of putting their money to work, feeding the hungry, clothing the destitute, providing medicines for the sick, and spreading the gospel, the rich were saving their money for a “rainy day.” It benefited no one, and eventually rotted away.[19] They were like the people in Haggai’s day who would piously announce,

“The time has not yet come for the Lord’s house to be built.” But then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while [My] house remains a ruin?” As Billy Graham writes in his book World Aflame, “We have ‘In God We Trust’ on our coins but ‘Me First’ engraved on our hearts.”[20]

Friends, this simply should not be. The clear teaching of the Scriptures, the appalling need of the world, the example of the Savior, and the simple instinct of compassion tell us that it is wrong to live in comfort, luxury, and ease as long as there is a single soul who has not heard the gospel.[21] Why is it that churches suffer, missionaries are either called home from the field or never sent out because of a lack of funds, while believers live in plenty, either spending it all on themselves or saving it for themselves. There is nothing wrong with enjoying things or being wise with investments, but how much of our perspective toward our possessions include what God is doing and wants to do in the world? A. B. Simpson, who spent most of his years raising awareness and support for world missions, lamented,

Would to God that the men might be prepared to whom the Master could safely entrust vast resources and possibilities. But alas, the holders of the enormous fortunes are here addressed as men to whom they are of little use. “Your gold and silver is cankered,” he says, “and the rust of them shall be a witness against you.” Money unused is really wasted, and the possessor owns it only in name. The rust of their unused treasure is a witness against them, and tells how little their trust has been spent for God.[22]

Could the same be said of us? Let us rather be ‘rich in faith’ and rejoice that we are ‘heirs of the Kingdom’. Let us find our wealth in God.[23] Let us be faithful in investing in the Kingdom, both here at home and around the world, and in doing so we lay up treasures for ourselves in heaven forever.

I realize this is not an easy message to hear. It’s not an easy message to preach… particularly when I discovered that James himself was later martyred by the Jewish high priest for his denunciations of the behavior of the rich.[24] Makes a preacher pause and think about what he’s going to say!

I don’t like to preach about money, because so many false preachers have abused the subject to line their own pockets. Please don’t take from this message that I am begging money for this church or it’s preacher, for that is not my desire. I firmly believe that God will supply the needs for His Kingdom through the faithfulness of His people, and up til now I have certainly found that to be true here.

But this subject of worldly wealth is an area of high risk in the battle to walk humbly with God. It is hard to be rich and humble at the same time. The use of money and the life of self-pleasing are never far apart.[25]

As we close I want to share two stories—one serious and one humorous—that bring home the truth of James’ words we have considered today.

When John D. Rockefeller died, one man was curious about how much he left behind. Determined to find out, he set up an appointment with one of Rockefeller’s highest aides and asked, “How much did Rockefeller leave behind.” The aide answered, “All of it.”[26] Isn’t that true? We can’t take anything with us.

One of the funniest cartoons I ever saw showed a pompous lawyer reading a client’s last will and testament to a group of greedy relatives. The caption read: “I, John Jones, being of sound mind and body, spent it all!”[27] Now I am not suggesting that we go blow our life savings frivolously, but wouldn’t it be better to have invested it all in the only things that will survive into eternity—the souls of men, women, and young people? What good is amassing a bunch of money (or stuff) that stays behind when we enter eternity?

I’d like to return to my opening question: What would it take to make you really happy? Getting more and more, spending it or keeping it for ourselves? That’s not going to do it. No, the happiest times are when we give, not when we get, and there is no greater giving than giving to the Lord’s work in its various forms.

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[1]George Sweeting, How To Solve Conflicts (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, ©1973).

[2]Ibid.

[3]Derek Prime, From Trials To Triumphs (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, ©1982).

[4]Ibid.

[5]Charles R. Swindoll, James: Hands-On Christianity (Fullerton, CA: Insight For Living, ©1975).

[6]John F. MacArthur, Jr., James (Chicago: Moody Press, ©1998).

[7]David Allen Hubbard, Themes from the Minor Prophets (Glendale, CA: Regal Books, ©1977).

[8]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Mature (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, ©1978).

[9]Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Hard Sayings of the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, ©1996).

[10]William MacDonald and Arthur Farstad, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, ©1995).

[11]Wiersbe, op. cit.

[12]Harold L. Fickett, Jr., Faith That Works (Glendale, CA: Regal Books, ©1972).

[13]Charles R. Swindoll, Strengthening Your Grip (Dallas: Word Publishing, ©1982).

[14]John R. W. Stott, Basic Introduction to the New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, ©1954, 1964).

[15]Charles R. Swindoll, Living Beyond the Daily Grind: Reflections on the Songs and Sayings of Scripture, Book II (Dallas: Word Publishing, ©1988).

[16]Thomas Brooks, An Ark for All God’s Noahs in a Gloomy Stormy Day (1662).

[17]Rich Mullins, “If I Stand.”

[18]MacArthur, op. cit.

[19]MacDonald, op. cit.

[20]Billy Graham, World Aflame (New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., ©1965).

[21]MacDonald op. cit.

[22]A. B. Simpson, Practical Christianity (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, ©2009).

[23]Stott, op. cit.

[24]Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, ©1993).

[25]J. A. Motyer, The Message of James: The Tests of Faith (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, ©1985).

[26]Michael P. Green, Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, ©1989).

[27]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Rich (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, ©1976).

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